Bitter Sweet Love
Anime: High School of the Dead
Pairing: Saeko Busujima and Takashi Komuro
Disclaimer: I do not own High School of the Dead or any of its characters.
A/N: Just a heads up, more drama in this chapter.
Sorry for the grammatical errors.
10: Conversations
The humvee sped forward as soon as the mass of zombies thinned down. Shizuka-sensei drove the humvee towards the designated point B.
Rei looked out as the darkness and the humvee's speed blurred the view of the river outside. And as Rei closed her eyes, the vision of Takashi and Saeko plagued her thoughts. The idea of them being alone together...sharing an intimate moment was enough to cause all the jealousy to seep back to Rei's system.
Knowing that they are a good match in combat is one thing, but it was nothing compared to the pain brought by the realization that Takashi had liked Saeko-san from the very beginning and that his feelings have grown as days passed. Rei had always been confident that Takashi loved her. Even if she ignored his feelings and chose to go out with Hisashi, Takashi never stopped loving her. This was what she was holding on when she said to Takashi that she wanted to be with him even if he fell for another girl. She knew he was falling for Saeko-san and that she was slowly losing him, but Rei still banked on to the thought that Takashi had loved her first and longer than he had known Saeko-san. However, the more reality happened before her eyes, the more she felt like she couldn't ignore it any longer. Fate seems to be bringing those two together, as if saying there is nothing Rei could do.
She felt bitter. And she wished that she had been nicer to Takashi from the very beginning. Then she suddenly remembered the conversation she had with Takashi while they were in the apartment of sensei's friend...
...
They were sitting on the spiral stair case, Takashi was drinking a juice box as Rei babbled on and on about the sadness she was feeling.
"Like I said, Hisashi was sweet to me!" Rei started. "That's why I wanted to..." she paused. She was supposed to say that she wanted to sleep with him but felt like she didn't need to articulate it. Komuro surely understood what she meant.
She continued talking, "When I was lonely, he was always there to listen to me. Even about me repeating the same grade...All you ever do is get upset about it, but..." she stopped upon hearing Takashi sigh.
"Hey, are you listening?" she tugged on his left sleeve.
"So tired..." he nonchalantly responded while handing the juice over to her.
Rei was taken aback. She was pouring her frustrations and emotions out and all Takashi could say was that he's tired?
"I'm tired" he repeated in the same monotonous voice.
Rei's eyes widened and she pushed his arm away. She stared at the foot of the stairs, not wanting to see his emotionless face. "What the hell is that? That's why I think you're so boring."
"I'd be a comedian if I could joke about this" his voice was almost a whisper.
"You're always so..."
"Do you expect me to always go along with your temperament? I've got my own problem to worry about." Takashi didn't let her finish.
He knew that Komuro was irritated by her complaining...and this just made her angrier. So she said the words she knew will hurt him the most "That's why I chose Hisashi."
"Shut up!" he stood up and shouted. "You bring up Hisashi every chance you get! I'm not him! Besides...he's dead! After he turned into a monster..." Takashi's eyes looked dark and scary, "...I killed him" he continued.
"Face the reality already! We're still alive, and we will survive no matter...no matter what! Stop bringing up..."
Rei's eyes widened in surprise at Takashi's outburst. He looked as if he was losing it, she did bring up Hisashi to hurt him, but she hadn't expected this. She felt guilty.
Rei reached up and pulled on his left sleeve once more to get his attention...to calm him down. She pulled herself up to look in his eyes, but she was not able to.
The death of her boyfriend and her inability to contact her parents all weighed down on her. She had just wanted someone to share it with to ease her burden. And Takashi was the only one she knew well enough to listen to her. However, she hadn't expected that he would be so indifferent, this irritated her and they ended up fighting. She just wanted to be comforted...
Not knowing what to say, she just leant forward, stared into his eyes and kissed him. She knew that he will kiss her back...and he actually did. They shared a brief but passionate kiss.
...
That kiss reaffirmed his feelings for her. But it felt like it happened ages ago.
Rei involuntarily ran a finger on her lower lip, before sadly looking outside the window once more. Unsure whether or not she should just give Takashi up and move on.
Meanwhile...
Komuro was surprised that Saeko returned his embrace. Too bad it was cut short...
Saeko pushed Komuro back. "I think I heard something"
Komuro placed a hand on his stomach and it rumbled once more.
Saeko looked down at his belly and started laughing. It was the same hearty laugh she had when they were alone back at the temple, when he showed her the portable potty.
"Well, I'm sorry for being noisy" he said acting a little hurt. But Saeko just kept laughing...
Komuro thanked his stomach for making her laugh, something that she rarely does these day.
"I think we should check out the kitchen for some food" she said when she was finally able to stop.
"I think so too. Let's go, it's right down the hall" he said as he offered his hand.
Saeko thought about it for a second, before deciding to reach out and hold his hand.
Komuro had to suppress another smile as he gripped her hand tight and pulled her forward. He easily navigated through the darkness and led her into the kitchen and onto the cabinet where he knew the canned goods are stored.
"Get everything that we need and put it in the bag, we're not sure if when we'll need it" Komuro said. "I'll check over there in case there are some left over bread. I think the candles are there as well" he said pointing to the cabinet on the other side of the room.
He walked over to the window first to open all the curtains and allow the moonlight in. He looked up at the cloudless sky for a moment, then to Saeko, who was still getting the cans from the hanging cabinets. She was dirty. Her clothes are torn in certain places and stained with blood. She was sweaty, causing her hair to stick to the back and side of her neck. Her eyes looked lifeless and tired. But still...to him...she looked beautiful.
"Did you find any candles? It's difficult to see through this darkness" Saeko said without looking at his direction.
Komuro almost jumped in surprise "umm...wait just a second". He hurriedly opened a drawer and looked for the candles and some matches. Luckily, nothing changed and the candles are still where they used to be. He lit one, picked up the loaf of bread right above the counter and walked over to Saeko.
He placed the candle on the counter right beside her and once again found himself staring at her.
"Is something wrong?" she looked at him innocently. "I look filthy don't I?" she said looking down at her clothes and trying to dust off the hem of her shirt, which he found funny because it didn't make any difference.
He shook his head and waved both his hands in front of him, "No! No!" he said as if he had said something offensive. He forgot that he was still holding the bread so it fell to the floor.
He quickly picked it up and placed it down on the counter. He then saw that Saeko was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. He suddenly felt nervous, "yes you do...umm I mean n-no you don't..."
"Really?" she questioned, looking and touching her torn sleeve.
"...yes you're dirty...but y-y-you still look good" he mumbled. He mentally smacked himself upon realizing that he sounded stupid.
Saeko giggled and said "thank you" before going back to stacking the canned goods in Komuro's bag.
"Is the bread still edible?" Saeko asked.
Komuro inspected it through the candle light, "I guess so. It doesn't have molds yet"
"Can you please get a bread knife and a can opener? Let's eat first before resting, or else your stomach might complain again" she said jokingly.
Komuro smiled and did as he was told. He also went to get plates and utensils and placed them beside her.
As soon as she was handed the knife, she started slicing the bread. Looking at her made him remember a not so distant memory...
...
Takashi walked directly to the kitchen cabinet and disappeared behind the door...looking for something to eat.
"Komuro-kun? A late-night snack will be ready soon and tomorrow's lunch too" came Saeko-san's voice.
He was a bit surprised because he hadn't noticed that she was in the kitchen too.
"You're such a big help Busujima-sempai" he said as he picked up a juice to drink instead.
As he closed the cabinet door, he politely smiled to look at her "I'm sorry that you had to..." he stopped midsentence at what he saw.
His eyes travelled from her legs... -his mind went haywire. Everything went silent and the only thing he could hear was blood pounding to his ears.
...up to her exposed butt and black thong... -a blush crept to his cheeks and he moved a step away from her.
...to her smooth back and to her full, round breast...then to her long neck and lastly to her beautiful, alluring face... –his muscles stiffened and an indescribable shriek came out of his mouth. "What!"
Saeko turned to face him and with an innocent look, she asked "What's wrong?"
Upon meeting her eyes, his heart raced and he moved another step backward.
"W-What's wrong? I mean..." his face was now beat red.
Saeko-san's face lit up showing that she understood, "oh you mean, this?" she said, turning her whole body towards him while holding the edges of the white frilly apron she was wearing.
"I couldn't find clothes in a size that fits me. So until I finish doing laundry, I'm wearing this" she pulled down the fabric near her chest...hugging her full chest erotically, not knowing that it was tormenting Komuro.
"I guess it's too revealing" she continued, tilting her head to one side.
"Sorry", she apologized.
"Oh no, it's okay..." he hurriedly said and looked away. But the image of her whole body was still etched in his mind...causing blood to drip out of his nose. And as he wiped the blood, his eyes passed by her once again. This turned out to be a big mistake because his muscles hardened even more, making him consciously reach and pull his shirt down to cover his bulge.
"...but we don't know when they might come and start attacking us, so..." he reasoned out.
Komuro's dilemma seems unnoticed by Saeko-san, so with a calm and sweet smile she replied, "you and Hirano are watching out for us. I show my absolute trust in the man I praise."
Takashi swallowed hard and tried to focus on Saeko-san's face. The compliment Saeko-san gave him made him temporarily forget his body's involuntary reactions.
"Hey Takashi, listen..." came Rei's whining voice from the upper floor.
Takashi and Saeko-san both stopped talking and looked up.
"Takashi...Takashi..." Rei called again.
"You'd better pay attention to her." Saeko-san said and went back to cooking. "At time, a girl likes to pretend to be helpless."
"You too, Busujima-sempai?"
Saeko laughed, "I like to be called Saeko by my friends" she said, changing the subject.
Her request surprised him. He tried to say her name but the word just wouldn't come out of his mouth. "Sa...Sa-"
Saeko giggled, "you can call me that after practicing" she interrupted.
"Takashi! Takashi, I'm calling you!" Rei's voice sounded louder and angrier. "Takashi!"
Komuro sighed. He looked at Saeko one last time, not wanting to end their conversation just yet.
"Go to her" Saeko said.
Begrudgingly, he left the kitchen and walked up the spiral staircase to where Rei was...
...
"Saeko" he unconsciously said, just wanting to say her name.
She turned to look at him curiously.
"I just remembered something" he smiled in response.
The memory seems to be a good one, Saeko thought. "What is it about?"
"Remember the time when we are Shizuka-sensei friend's house? You were also preparing a late night snack at that time."
"Yes I do..." she paused. She looked down and picked up a piece of bread to eat.
The atmosphere between them suddenly changed. The topic brought back the negative feelings she was trying to push away. At least for tonight, she intended to be civil with him. She wanted to forget about their issues and get a good rest. But fate seems to be playing a game on her by not letting her be at peace even for just one night.
"I also remembered that we had to end our talk because Rei was calling out to you" she continued with a low voice.
"Yeah...she was..." Komuro's voice was as low as hers.
"Your conversation went well" she continued. She was not able to hide the irritation she's feeling so her voice sounded cold.
She heard Komuro shuffled his feet. He seems nervous and uncomfortable about the topic.
"We ended up fighting"
His response angered her, but she maintained her tone and attempted to control her emotions.
"No you didn't"
"Yes we did. You should have heard us...or at least I expected that you heard me. I was practically shouting at that time"
She knew Komuro turned to look at her, but she decided not meet his gaze.
"Yes I heard and saw you. You ended up...kissing..." the last word was a bit harder to say than she expected.
A minute of silence passed.
Saeko absentmindedly stared at the flickering light of the candle. Images of the heated and passionate kiss that Komuro and Rei shared flashed before her eyes. At that time, she didn't care. But seeing shadows of that same memory now seem to cause inexplicable pains in her chest.
"I'm sorry" he whispered.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"I'm not sure either... I guess, because I'm making you uncomfortable again..." Komuro did sound sorry and embarrassed.
"I guess you still wanted me to stay away from you..." he continued.
The obvious answer was yes. But it took Saeko a minute before she affirmed.
"As much as I want to do it...I think I can't" he said sadly.
She looked at him and waited for an explanation.
He turned to face her and smiled bitterly, "how can I do that...when all I can think of is you?"
Her eyes widened in surprise and her jaw dropped. He sounded and looked like a child. His words felt honest and pure that it rendered Saeko speechless.
A/N: There we go...the impending conversation has started.
The flashbacks are from Act 6 of the anime.